Healthy Chocolate Crackle Christmas Trees

These Healthy Chocolate Crackle Christmas trees are a simple, nourishing Christmas inspired treat. I was inspired to make these at my sons Prep party day. I saw one of the mums from another class carrying a pretty chocolate tower and I couldn’t help but enquire what it was. She said it was a chocolate crackle Xmas tree. Now I’m not a fan of accumulating too much cooking stuff, so I was thrilled to hear that she used a piece of cardboard, shaped into a cone and then lined with baking paper for the mould.

I make healthy chocolate crackles for my kids parties, so I knew right away what I would do. But loving to experiment as I do, I also whipped up a grain free version too. I’m thrilled to share these with you. I hope you enjoy them !

Health benefits

Made with puffed whole grains as opposed to the sugar ladened commercial rice bubbles, these make a guilt free treat. The coconut and coconut oil are super healthy for reasons I’ve written about here. The grain free version is a great source of protein and healthy fats.

Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.

If you’re looking to save money across pantry items such as nuts, seeds, flours and meals, I personally shop at The Wholefood Collective – great whole foods at heavily discounted prices (all home delivered), click HERE to take a look.

Healthy Chocolate Crackle Christmas Trees

Prep15minutes

Cook5minutes

Total40minutes

This Chocolate Crackle Christmas Trees looks tricky to make, though it's anything but.There's no special mould needed (it's quick and easy to make your own) and it's an impressive Christmas inspired treat.

Ingredients

100ml extra virgin coconut oil melted

3tablespoonsrice malt or maple syrup(more or less to taste, I used rice syrup)

¼cupdesiccated coconut(optional)

2-3tablespoonscacao powder(more cacao will make it more chocolatey)

2cupspuffed grain,I used puffed brown rice but it would work with millet, quinoa or activated buckwheat (or a mix). See variations below for grain-free.

Method

Over a gentle heat, warm the coconut oil and syrup until combined. Mix in the cacao powder. Now combine this with the puffed grain and coconut (or nut variation below).

To make your mould, roll a piece of thin card into a cone shape and stick together. Line this with baking paper and wrap a piece of foil around the tip of the cone (to stop any oil leaking out).

Now spoon the mixture into the cone. Every couple of tablespoons, I packed the mixture down into the mould using the end of a wet rolling pin.

Once done, lay on its side in the freezer until set (15 minutes or so).

Remove the card and baking paper, decorate with berries and cherries and serve immediately (or store in the fridge until ready to eat).

Variations

Grain-free

Replace the puffed grain with the same amount of toasted almond flakes or another chopped nut or seed.

Low-fructose

Use rice malt syrup to sweeten.

Coconut-free

Replace the coconut oil with raw cacao butter and omit the desiccated coconut.

10 Comments

Ha ha – yes like any ‘crackle’ even the traditional type, they don’t hold up well out of the fridge. Last Christmas Day I made a couple of these (and it was a really hot day – I’m also in QLD). I served them straight from the freezer and they were fine for about half an hour or so. The kids had a good go at them and then I popped what was left back in the fridge looking a lot less pretty than it did to start with. They finished it off Boxing Day! G x

I made two big ones last Christmas day (grain and grain free) and I just sliced bits off. You could also make individual little cones or even just use the mix in little cups like regular ‘crackles.’ (this is what I do for b’day parties).

The lady I was inspired by at last years school party had hers in one big cone in the school fridge, and bought it out just as the party started. The mum just served it up to the kids on napkins, G x

Hello Georgia, these look great! I think I recall reading something on your site about limiting puffed grains as they aren’t that great for you (but ok as a treat, like Christmas!), am I right? I make a chocolate crackle as well but I remember reading something you posted and it made me stop making them..so I wanted to check! Thank you so much 🙂

Yes Kristy, I am quite wary of puffed or extruded grains (wrote about them in my ebook). So Xmas, sometimes birthdays is the only time I use them (or I mostly make the ‘grain free’ tree) if no one has nut allergies. So yep. you’re spot on. Merry Christmas G x

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About Me

Hello and welcome!

I’m Georgia Harding, Naturopath, freestyle cook, and mother of two. I’ve treated and mentored patients on matters of health and wellness for over 20 years and this blog is my commitment to further share my passion and knowledge of health, food and healing. I hope you enjoy it!